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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23139364">and i know i’ve kissed you before</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptrprkrs/pseuds/ptrprkrs'>ptrprkrs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5 + 1 Things, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, background kourtlyn, ej as beast, fite me, gina is so gone for ricky, i just think they’re neat, kourtney as belle, let them be happy, sick gina</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 09:00:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23139364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptrprkrs/pseuds/ptrprkrs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><em>but I didn’t do it right / can i try again, try again, try again?</em><br/> </p><p>or: 5 times ricky kisses gina + 1 time she kisses back</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ricky Bowen/Gina Porter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>95</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>and i know i’ve kissed you before</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this is so long omg...n e ways follow my twitter @/H0P3SWRLD and i hope u like this!</p><p>title from ‘pink in the nightʼ by mitski</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong><em>1. cheek</em></strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Gina is new to the whole friend thing. Ricky has to be her first ever proper friend. Even though the only reason they are is because he blew up at her and then felt bad about it, she’ll take what she can get.  (She still gives him shit about it, now, because friends tease each other, she learns.) She becomes closer with Carlos during dance class and, in turn, Seb and then rest of the cast, and they’re her friends. 

</p><p> </p><p> (Sometimes, when they are all hanging out together, Gina has to pinch herself, because there is no way this is real.) </p><p> </p><p>When she and the Caswells stay up all night singing old Disney songs on the karaoke machine EJ got for Christmas; when Big Red and her drive up to see the mountains every month ‘cause they are the only two that actually appreciate them; when she and Carlos and Steph surprise Kayden with a party on his birthday. Sometimes when Kourtney and her are laughing so hard their stomachs gets sore or when Nini and her are messing around in the music room together, she just needs to make sure. Because what did she do to deserve this? To deserve <em>them</em>?</p><p> </p><p>She tells Ricky this because he’s who she goes to with anything. (Except homework. Nini will always be her number one when it comes to that.) </p><p> </p><p>He doesn’t exactly frown when she reveals this, although his lips do get pursed and he gets looks at her with a sad glint in his eyes that she knows isn’t pity. Like he’s mad at the world but will remain gentle and patient with her. 
  

</p><p> </p><p>They’re sitting in his dad’s car, parked in the driveway of the Caswell’s house. They had just come from a late lunch with everyone and Gina had pinched herself a total of nine times that afternoon. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky studies Gina closely. “You’re not allowed to do that, Gi.”</p><p> </p><p>Her face scrunches in confusion. “Do what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Act as if you’re in any way unworthy of anything you have. You, more than anyone I know, deserve the world. And I will not allow you to think otherwise.” He says it with such conviction and seriousness that Gina feels inclined to believe him. </p><p> </p><p>She glances at the glovebox in front of him. “It’s not that I feel like I don’t deserve <em>anything</em>, but that I don’t deserve anything this <em>good</em>. Which is stupid, I know, but I don’t usually get good things, especially not permanently. But you guys are good. And hopefully forever. And it’s like: <em>how did I get so lucky?</em> y’know?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky nods in understanding. “I get it. But you better get used to it, ‘cause this,” he points between the two of them, “this is forever, Porter.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina looks up at him and sees how earnest he is. She smiles. “Good.” </p><p> </p><p>And then Ashlyn’s mom is calling her inside and asking if Ricky is staying for dinner.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d love to, Ms Caswell, but my dad’s expecting me home now. Another time, I promise.” Gina notes that he sounds genuinely upset that he can’t stay, and she can’t tell if he’s become that good of an actor or if he really wants to spend the evening with them. Either way, she makes a point to hold Ricky up to his promise. </p><p> </p><p>When she goes back in the house, and Gina is out the car and leaning on Ricky’s open window, she says, “Stop upsetting her and eat her food.”</p><p> </p><p>He chuckles. “You know I’d love to, but it’s pizza rolls tonight,” he says through a pout. Gina rolls her eyes. “I’ll see you at school, yeah?” She nods.</p><p> </p><p>“Yup.” </p><p> </p><p>Ricky holds his arm out through the window and Gina lets him wrap it around her shoulders. They hug through the window like that and Gina’s back is starting to hurt, but it’s Ricky and he’s holding her, so she doesn’t complain. </p><p> </p><p>When he pulls back, he presses a chaste kiss to her cheek. “Bye, Gi!” he shouts as he reverses out of her driveway.</p><p> </p><p>Too stunned to say anything, Gina stands there dumbfounded as he drives away. With a shaky hand pressed to her cheek, she lets out a barely audible “bye”. Aunt Josephine has to come out and get her.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong><em>2. forehead</em></strong><br/>
</p><p> </p><p>“I swear to God, I <em>will</em> break that guitar over your head if you don’t stop strumming,” Gina threatens looking up from her World History textbook to glare at Ricky.</p><p> </p><p>He stops mid-strum and sticks his tongue out playfully. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky had invited Gina over to his house to help him study for his Chemistry test in two days. They were in his room; Gina was lying flat on her stomach on his bed and Ricky was sitting on his bean bag playing with his guitar. </p><p> </p><p>He strums a different note, and Gina throws his bear, Franklin, at him. “Ow!” he exclaims when it hits him square in the face. </p><p> </p><p>“Stop it.” </p><p> </p><p>“But you like it when I play for you,” he whines, pouting. </p><p> </p><p>“Not when I’m trying to study, I don’t. Speaking of…” Gina trails off and picks Ricky’s Chem book up from and the floor. She holds it over her head in preparation to throw it when Ricky holds his arms up in surrender.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay! Okay! I’ll stop!” he puts his guitar down next to him and gets up off his chair. Ricky walks to Gina and snatches the textbook out of her hand with a mumbled “gimme that”. Gina chuckles. </p><p> </p><p>When he throws himself on the bed next to her, she freezes. </p><p> </p><p>Of course Gina has been in Ricky’s room before. Of course Gina has been on Ricky’s bed before. Of course Gina has been on Ricky’s bed <em>with</em> Ricky before. </p><p> </p><p>There is nothing new about this situation. </p><p> </p><p>Except for the fact that his shoulder was pressed against hers, and he keeps knocking his feet into hers, and his hand was so close to hers and she wants to hold it, hold him, and <em>he kissed her</em> and it’s all Gina’s been able to think about for the last two weeks, and she wants him to do it again and — </p><p> </p><p>So yes, being this close to Ricky with all this in consideration was hard. Because her heart wouldn’t stop pounding and her stomach was busy doing jumping jacks. </p><p> </p><p>And it’s not like she could just <em>move</em>. Then she’d have to explain to him <em>why</em> she suddenly was unable to sit next him and that was not a conversation she was ready to have. With anyone. Ever. </p><p> </p><p>She remains where she is and tries to focus on the words in her textbook which proves difficult as Ricky cannot lay still; his leg is constantly shaking and bumping into hers. He also hums when he’s concentrating and it seems that he’s taking this studying thing very seriously because there is a song on his lips. </p><p> </p><p>It’s the same tune he was playing around with on the guitar and Gina guesses he’s working on a song. It also occurs to her that he’s never played any of his original songs for her before.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” she says turning over on her side slightly. Partly to look at him better and partly to put some space between them before she actually gets dizzy from all the blood rushing to her head. </p><p> </p><p>He turns his head to her. </p><p> </p><p>“You haven’t played me a song before,” she points out to him.</p><p> </p><p>His face scrunches in confusion. “I play you songs all the time.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but I mean <em>your</em> songs. You’ve never played one for me.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky shrugs. “I’ve only written one song before.” He turns over so he’s lying on his back and staring at the ceiling. And Gina knows what he’s talking about. Red had mentioned the song he wrote for Nini once during their trips up to the mountains. </p><p> </p><p>She knows that they got back together after opening night.</p><p> </p><p>She knows it didn’t work out between them after Nini realised how going back to Ricky had done nothing for their personal growth. </p><p> </p><p>She knows that Ricky agreed. Because he mentioned something his mom said to him the night of the breakup when he’d called Gina. That some relationships just don’t work out. That some people grow apart. That that’s what happened to Nini and him. </p><p> </p><p>She knows that, despite all of this, it was still a touchy subject for the both of them. And she gets it. It was hard letting go of things you thought you’d have forever. They were still friends. Good friends. But sometimes Gina would notice them pulling away quickly from hugs, or retracting their hands when they catch themselves reaching for each other.</p><p> </p><p>Gina supposes it must be hard to remember how you used to love someone before you fell in love with them. </p><p> </p><p>Turning over to lie on her back as well, Gina ends up pressed against Ricky. “You think I should?” he whispers.</p><p> </p><p>Gina does not look at him and trains her gaze on the ceiling. “Should what?”</p><p> </p><p>“Write something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>Gina nods, smiling wide. “Uh-huh.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky thinks about this for a moment. Gina thinks he’s fallen asleep. “What should it be about?”</p><p> </p><p>“Chemistry,” she deadpans. Ricky groans. “I’m serious! You have a test you should be studying for!”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the one who wants me to sing for them!”</p><p> </p><p>“And now I want you to study,” she says with a smirk. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky pouts. “Ten more minutes and then we watch a movie?”</p><p> </p><p>Gina knew she couldn’t say no to him. He could ask her anything and she’d probably say yes. “Fine,” she cedes and Ricky cheers sitting up right. “But you <em>have</em> to study, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky was beaming too bright to say anything. He leans down swiftly and kisses her forehead in excitement. “I get to choose the movie!”</p><p> </p><p>He grabs his book and sits crosslegged next to Gina who is still lying on her back. She is too stunned to do anything. His knee is bouncing lightly on her stomach and after a while, Gina hears him humming again. </p><p> </p><p>Her head burns where his lips had been and she longs to have them there again. She tries not to show how it had affected her because Ricky didn’t seem to have thought much of it. <em>Maybe because there is nothing to think about</em>, Gina thinks. </p><p> </p><p>(The insistent beating in her chest begged to differ.)</p><p> </p><p>When Ricky finishes, he picks the movie <em>Kung Fu Panda 2</em>. </p><p> </p><p>Gina knows he prefers the first one.</p><p> </p><p>Gina also knows that he knows this that it’s her favourite one.</p><p> </p><p>(And when Ricky runs full speed at her after school three days later because he got a B+ on his test and he buries his face in her hair and mumbles something she doesn’t quite catch, Gina really wants him to kiss her again.)</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>3. hand</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Rehearsals for <em>Beauty and the Beast</em> have been underway for a good two months now. </p><p> </p><p>EJ and Kourtney were perfect as the leads, and Gina made it a point to remind Kourt whenever she thought she saw her friend doubting herself. </p><p> </p><p>Ever since that night at Homecoming with Ricky, Gina had stopped caring so much about getting the lead, or being the best. Now, she truly just wants to have fun and hang out with her friends. Also she was just so happy for Kourtney. </p><p> </p><p>The <em>Be Our Guest</em> dance number is the biggest scene and hardest piece of choreography Gina has ever had learn. Apparently Carlos and Miss Jenn both thought that she deserved another solo because “you are literally the most talented dancer here”. And of course Gina was grateful that they thought so, but did Carlos really have to go all out?</p><p> </p><p>Her legs were <em>killing</em> her.</p><p> </p><p>One of the things that made it worth was the fact that Ricky was acting alongside her. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky had landed the role of Lumiere and Gina was cast as Plumette. Since they are love interests in the show, Ricky and Gina spend most of the show together. Not that she’s complaining, but these feelings she’s been having lately are making it really difficult to be around him without feeling like she’s going to overheat or spontaneously combust. </p><p> </p><p>But Gina’s a professional and she will not let any—whatever this was—deter her from doing a good job.</p><p> </p><p>In this number, before Gina goes into her solo, there is a group number with all the other dancers and Ricky is her partner for most of it. </p><p> </p><p>It was nearing tech week and Carlos wanted to get every piece of choreography down, starting with <em>Be Our Guest</em>. </p><p> </p><p>“I want perfection people!” he announces as he walks across the stage. Carlos moves around and stops in front of Gina. “Gina, wow me.” She nods with a faux serious look on her face. He turns to Ricky. “And you…just try to keep up. Okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky gapes at him while Gina laughs at him from across the stage. He childishly sticks his tongue out at her. </p><p> </p><p>Miss Jenn claps her hands together. “Okay, places everyone! And action!”</p><p> </p><p>The music starts, and Ricky begins singing to Kourtney who is sitting at a makeshift dinner table off to the right of the stage. The lights are solely on them as Ricky dramatically serenades her. </p><p> </p><p>At each lyric sung by Ricky during the crescendo, the lights come on on the rest of the stage. Gina and the rest of the dancers move to the front of the stage. They move in sync with each other and, on cue, spin around with their hands held out. </p><p> </p><p>Their respective dance partners are meant to sashay to them and grab hold of their hands and carry out the next three counts of their duet.</p><p> </p><p>Gina says <em>meant to</em> because that’s not what Ricky does.</p><p> </p><p>No, Ricky grabs her hand, bends down and kisses the back of it. He even adds a sly “<em>mon chéri</em>” during a lull in singing when he looks up her through his long lashes and it takes everything in her not to die right then and there.</p><p> </p><p>She notices the slight quirk of Carlos’ eyebrow when she spares a glance at the audience, and she knows he is going to give her shit about this.</p><p> </p><p>Gina mindlessly follows along with Ricky as he continues the song with no care in the world. As if he did not just kiss Gina during rehearsals for a musical where they were playing love interests when it <em>wasn’t even in the script</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Gina mentally shakes herself out of her stupor. She inhales deeply and dances across the stage away from Ricky to get in position for her solo.</p><p> </p><p>She tries to not think about stupid Ricky and his stupid kisses and making her feel these stupid feelings and executes her dance perfectly. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky sings the last lyric and grabs hold of Gina’s hand and spins her into him. Gina isn’t even sure when he crossed the stage to get to her. There was no time to question it now, because here he was, holding her, out of breath and sweaty, looking at her like <em>that</em> and her whole body erupts. </p><p> </p><p>She needs to put some distance between them <em>now</em>. </p><p> </p><p>When Miss Jenn yells “scene!”, Gina isn’t sure she’s ever been more grateful for the teacher in her life. As not to appear flustered or affected in anyway (because Gina was <em>not</em> affected, thank you very much), Gina slowly pushes herself off of Ricky. </p><p> </p><p>(She also pretends not to notice the slight fall of his face when she’s out of his arms, because she does not want to think about That at the moment.)</p><p> </p><p>“You were great,” she manages out, a little breathless, after just standing staring at him awkwardly like a Sim with no commands. Ricky flashes her a lopsided grin that all but knocks the air out her lungs.</p><p> </p><p>Thank goodness for Red because then he’s calling Ricky over and it gives Gina opportunity to walk away without it being weird. </p><p> </p><p>She hops off the stage with Steph, telling her how much of a good job she did, when she finds Carlos standing by her bag with his arms crossed and eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>She gulps.</p><p> </p><p>“Come with me,” she whispers to Steph. “I need a witness for when he murders me.”</p><p> </p><p>Her friend rolls her eyes at her theatrics and pulls her towards Carlos by the arm. “Let’s go, <em>mon chéri</em>,” Steph teases. </p><p> </p><p>Carlos does not waste time with the questioning. “And what was that?” he asks as soon they reach him. </p><p> </p><p>Gina doesn’t answer immediately, instead reaching into her bag for her water bottle. “Steph’s ankle is still sore from spraining it in cheer, so her turns aren’t a hundred percent yet,” she deflects. </p><p> </p><p>Steph turns on Gina with a raised eyebrow. “I know you did not just flip this on me when you know full well he’s talking about you and Bowen over there.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina shrugs. “I have no idea what you two are talking about.”</p><p> </p><p>Before either of them could call her out, Ricky is suddenly by her side with his arm slung around her shoulders. He gives her a side hug that Gina doesn’t even think twice about returning.</p><p> </p><p>“You were great, too,” he whispers into her hair. She squeezes his waist a little tighter at that.</p><p> </p><p>She knows Steph and Carlos are watching them with raised eyebrows and calculating stares, but she can’t find it in her to care because it’s Ricky. </p><p> </p><p>Miss Jenn walks over to them with a smile. “Gina, wonderful as always. Although, I did see you freeze for a bit up there, but otherwise perfect.” </p><p> </p><p>Gina grins lightly and thanks genetics that no one can see her blush. </p><p> </p><p>Her teacher then faces Ricky. “And you, Mr Bowen—” he chuckles— “nice touch with closing spin. And that little kiss? Loved it!” she praises.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky smiles bashfully. “Thanks, Miss Jenn.” He looks at Gina, eyes never leaving her face, and admits, “It felt right.” </p><p> </p><p>Gina has no idea what he’s trying to say—if he’s trying to say anything at all. What she does know is if Ricky keeps looking at her like that, saying things like that, she might just do something stupid like <em>kiss</em> him. </p><p> </p><p>Miss Jenn laughs a little and claps her hands together. “Well, whatever the reason, it’s staying!”</p><p> </p><p>She walks away then and announces a fifteen minute break. </p><p> </p><p>Ricky is drinking from her bottle when Kourtney calls him over to look at his costume. “Drive you home?” he asks, putting her bottle back in her bag. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m helping Steph with a dance after,” Gina admits.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky shrugs with an easy smile. “I’ll wait.” </p><p> </p><p>And then he’s off. </p><p> </p><p>Gina drags her eyes away from watching him walk away to find Steph and Carlos staring at her. “What?”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>It felt right</em>,” Steph teases in a bad impression of Ricky and Gina shoves her.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up! It was just a creative decision.”</p><p> </p><p>Carlos eyes her with disbelief. “Hmm, whatever you say, <em>mon chéri</em>, but that boy is <em>whipped</em>.” </p><p> </p><p>Gina rolls her eyes and is grateful Carlos can’t tell her heart is fluttering right now. Because it is. <em>A lot</em>.</p><p> </p><p>(And when Ricky kisses her hand during the performance, Gina is surprised her heart doesn’t burst right out of her chest.)</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>4. nose</em>
  </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“Go home, Bowen,” Gina sniffles out.</p><p> </p><p>Natalie caught a cold a week ago and Gina, along with Ashlyn, had managed to catch it too. Gina wasn’t one to stay home from school, but when she practically passed out during breakfast, Aunt Josephine insisted she get some rest.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky had blown up her phone before the first bell even rang because he was waiting for her to hop out of EJ’s car with him, and Gina would have found it endearing if the constant vibrating of each incoming message wasn’t giving her a headache.</p><p> </p><p>EJ apparently told him why she wasn’t at school today, according to Ricky, and when he heard, he <em>nyoom</em>-ed all the way to her house. His words, not hers.</p><p> </p><p>He spent the whole day with her watching movies on her laptop, making sure she drinks water, and doing dumb BuzzFeed quizzes.</p><p> </p><p>(“This can’t be right!” “What?” “It says your soulmate’s name starts with either a ‘K’, ‘J’ or ‘S’. My name starts with ‘R’!” “Perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be.”)</p><p> </p><p>Gina falls asleep sometime between <em>Which Marvel Chris Is Your Soulmate</em> and <em>Which Harry Potter House You Belong In</em>.</p><p> </p><p>He is still sitting on her bed next to her, scrolling through his phone, when she wakes up.</p><p> </p><p>He picks his head up from his phone to look down at Gina with a grin. “No can do, Porter.”</p><p> </p><p>She hits him weakly with a pillow.</p><p> </p><p>“Ouch, Gina-Rina, that hurt,” he says with a hand to his upper-arm. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you didn’t want me here.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>I don’t</em>. You’re ditching school, Richard.”</p><p> </p><p>He huffs playfully. “Damn, the government name? Two can play at that game, <em>Regina</em>.” At her unimpressed look, he sighs and rolls over so he’s sitting across from her. “I’m serious, Gi, it’s no big deal.”</p><p> </p><p>She plays with the fraying ends of her blanket. “I don’t want you to get sick.”</p><p> </p><p>“Aw, is Miss Porter secretly <em>soft</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up,” Gina says, through a smile.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky laughs and it’s full, and it’s beautiful, and he’s smiling at her, and Gina is so <em>impossibly gone</em> for this boy, it’s ridiculous.</p><p> </p><p>When he sobers, he takes her hand and looks directly at her. “But really, a little sniffle isn’t going to deter me from seeing you. This is forever, remember? I’m not going anywhere. In sickness and in health.”</p><p> </p><p>It takes all of her willpower not to cry right then because <em>Jesus Christ this boy</em>. He has to realise that he can’t just say things like that and <em>not</em> expect her to fall in love with him.</p><p> </p><p>She sniffs extra loud at that and Ricky pretends to run away in mock disgust. “You’re not my soulmate, though,” Gina teases.</p><p> </p><p>He falls back dramatically. “Oh, don’t remind me!”</p><p> </p><p>Gina laughs and her throat scratches slightly. Ricky is somehow already by her side with a glass of water.</p><p> </p><p>“Your aqua, madam,” he says with a terrible French accent.</p><p> </p><p>She sits up slightly and takes the glass out of his hand. “You’ve literally been Lumiere for three months, how is your accent <em>still</em> this bad?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky looks affronted. “I’ll have you know Monsieur Whittaker is very pleased with my accent, thank you very much.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure he was just flattering you.”</p><p> </p><p>“You wound me, Gina Bobina. You really do.” Gina rolls her eyes. “Anyways, now that you’re up, wanna watch a movie?”</p><p> </p><p>Gina makes grabby hands for her laptop. “<em>Cheetah Girls 2</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>He huffs out a laugh as he sets the movie up on the small screen. “What is it with you and sequels?”</p><p> </p><p>She shrugs. “It’s not my fault they’re better.”</p><p> </p><p>“This is why we’re not soulmates.”</p><p> </p><p>“…Because we have different movie preferences?”</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly!” Gina rolls her eyes <em>again</em>, because as much as he was literally her favourite person ever, he was also an idiot. It balances itself out, she thinks. “But do not worry, I have a whole PowerPoint presentation prepared on why we <em>are</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina looks at him blankly. “You’re joking.”</p><p> </p><p>He simply shakes his head. “Hundred and seven slides. And counting.”</p><p> </p><p>She truly cannot tell if he’s kidding or not, and dammit Ricky, she should not be thinking this hard when she’s sick. This is not fair, at all.</p><p> </p><p>When the movie is queued up and ready, Ricky moves to sit next to Gina, his arm pressed flush against hers with the laptop resting on their legs.</p><p> </p><p>Gina cannot pinpoint the exact moment when it happens, but suddenly Ricky’s arm is wrapped around her shoulders and his fingers are dancing lightly on the sleeve of her hoodie and Gina’s breath is caught in her throat.</p><p> </p><p>There is no way Ricky does not know what he’s doing. He has to be even the <em>least</em> bit aware of the affect he has on her, right?</p><p> </p><p>Ricky opens his mouth to say something and his breath fans the side of Gina’s face. She feels her face heat up and it takes all her willpower to keep her eyes on the screen and not turn to look at him.</p><p> </p><p>“You hungry? Cause you haven’t eaten since you woke up and I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure you should be eating.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina rolls her eyes playfully to try and distract herself from the way her heartbeat sped up at his concern. “I’m fine, mom.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky chuckles and nudges her with his side. “Too bad, cause I saw Nutella in the pantry and now we have to make sandwiches.” He was already climbing off the bed before he finished his sentence.</p><p> </p><p>“Nutella is not a sick person food, Ricky.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well it’s a good thing you’re not hungry then,” he says cheekily with a smirk and just as Gina was about to roll her eyes again for the umpteenth time that day, Ricky swooped down and gave her nose a quick kiss.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes widened in surprise. Gina goes to say something; she opens her mouth and forces words to come out, but they do not. She shuts her mouth dumbly.</p><p> </p><p>It was official. Ricky Bowen was trying to kill her.</p><p> </p><p>His face was still obnoxiously close to hers, every breath of his brushing across her face. Gina cannot breathe. She swallows the lump in her throat that had formed and manages to croak out a weak “you’re the worst” that has no real bite to it.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky laughs and his head falls forward, shoulders shaking and hair brushing Gina’s cheeks. “You love me.” He says it as a joke, playfully, so matter-of-factly that Gina’s worried she’s been found out. Because of course Gina loves him. Gina is convinced there is no possible way anyone could spend time with Ricky and just <em>not</em>.</p><p> </p><p>And with the smile that he’s giving her, all sunshine and bright, the smile Gina likes to think is reserved just for her, she almost slips up and says “I do”.</p><p> </p><p>She almost forgets that their <em>just friends</em> and says “More than you know”.</p><p> </p><p>Almost. But she schools her expression, inhales, and says teasingly, “Against my better judgment.”</p><p> </p><p>“Rude!” he exclaims standing up straight, finally allowing Gina to breathe. “Come on then, Gi.”</p><p> </p><p>She groans but climbs out of bed anyway. Ricky wastes no time in grabbing hold of her hand and leading her out of her room, down the stairs and into the kitchen. Gina can’t help but let out a laugh at his childlike eagerness.</p><p> </p><p>When he hears, he turns his head back and gives her a smile so big, his eyes disappear. Gina has been many places and seen all the landmarks they had to offer, but this, Gina thinks, is the single most beautiful thing she will ever see.</p><p> </p><p>Gina takes a seat on one of the barstools and watches as Ricky moves around the kitchen to make his sandwich. Her attention is drawn away from him when she hears the front door opening.</p><p> </p><p>Voices carry from the front of the house and when Ashlyn walks into the kitchen to drop her bag down and Kourtney is following behind her closely, Gina’s face scrunches in confusion.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey guys,” Ashlyn greets with a bright smile. “Ricky you’re still here?”</p><p> </p><p>He nods from where he is lathering Nutella on his bread. “Yep. I take my job as Gina’s appointed doctor very seriously.”</p><p> </p><p>“You have chocolate on your face,” Kourt notes with a raised eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you guys doing back so early?” Gina asks curiously. Being in her room all day with Ricky hovering over her made it so she hadn’t been able to check the time.</p><p> </p><p>Ash looks at her with a confused expression. “We’re not. School just ended, Gi. I know you’re used to staying late but we haven’t had rehearsals for drama in a month and I’m not staying at school any longer than I need to.”</p><p> </p><p>“Amen to that,” Kourt agrees and Ashlyn gives her bright smile. They stay looking at each other with smiles on their faces and the sight causes a slight lift in Gina’s eyebrow.</p><p> </p><p>It’s not that it’s surprising, not even in the slightest, but she remembers very vividly Kourt denying any and all feelings for the redhead. With the way she’s looking at Ash though, Gina is questioning the factuality of that statement.</p><p> </p><p>She spares a glance to Ricky and finds him watching the scene with an amused smirk on his lips.</p><p> </p><p>He clears his throat slightly and asks, “Not that it isn’t <em>wonderful</em> having you here, Kourt, but what are you doing here?”</p><p> </p><p>Kourtney snaps out of her trance to look at Ricky. “Uh, same as you. Ash started sniffling around sixth period and I knew Gina was sick so I wanted to make sure she got home okay.”</p><p> </p><p>Ash turns to her again. “And I did, thanks to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina watches as Kourtney ducks her hand shyly. Yep, she just caught her in a bold faced lie.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, I should get going,” Kourt admitted when her phone beeped with a text from her mom.</p><p> </p><p>Ash pouts a little. “Aw, boo,” she whines but goes to give Kourtney a hug anyway. They linger in each other’s arms and Gina just knows she’s going to tease the dark-skinned girl relentlessly for this.</p><p> </p><p>When they part, Kourt gives Ashlyn another smile and waves Gina and Ricky goodbye before leaving the house.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to my room,” Ashlyn announces before turning to head upstairs.</p><p> </p><p>Gina and Ricky are left sitting in the kitchen alone. Ricky is looking at her with a mischievous smirk. She gives him a questioning look to which he responds with, “You saw that too, right?”</p><p> </p><p>She’s only had friends for almost a year and she’s getting really good at the whole friend thing, so Gina is pretty sure there must be an unspoken rule about telling other people about your friend’s crushes. So she dodges the question and tells him to hurry up and eat his food.</p><p> </p><p>He does just that and grabs her hand yelling something about how Barcelona wasn’t going to strut like it meant it itself.</p><p> </p><p>For the 3464076th time, Gina wants to kiss him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>5. temple</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>from: icky bowie &lt;3<br/>
<em>&gt;&gt; imy</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>to: icky bowie &lt;3<br/>
<em>&lt;&lt; u saw me like five hours ago<br/>
&lt;&lt; u drove me home<br/>
&lt;&lt; remember???</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>from: icky bowie &lt;3<br/>
<em>&gt;&gt; well i wanna see u again</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>to: icky bowie &lt;3<br/>
<em>&lt;&lt; my window’s open</em></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong></strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>from: icky bowie &lt;3<br/>
<em>&gt;&gt; :)</em></strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Gina isn’t ashamed to admit that the only reason she sleeps with her windows open is because Ricky has a habit of climbing through them at odd hours of the night. Usually when his mom was visiting and he needed to get out of the house or when, like he said, he just missed her.</p><p> </p><p>(The latter happened more often than not.)</p><p> </p><p>It takes Ricky less than ten minutes to get to her house, and she assumes he was already on his way when he sent the message. The fact that he knew, or at least hoped, that she’d always let him in makes her smile as soon as he sticks his in through the window.</p><p> </p><p>“Well someone’s happy to see me,” he says teasingly. Gina’s heart skips at the smile he gives her. “Damn it is hot in here.”</p><p> </p><p>It really is. The AC in her room had stopped working in May, and now in the middle of summer, it still hasn’t been fixed.</p><p> </p><p>Gina just shrugs. “We can just sit out on the balcony.”</p><p> </p><p>He nods without a word and slides his body back out. The balcony that connected to Gina’s bedroom window was placed conveniently by a tree that Ricky has adopted into a stepladder. He has yet to hurt himself, so Gina will grant him the benefit of doubt that it’s safe.</p><p> </p><p>After grabbing two pillows from her bed, she follows him out.</p><p> </p><p>They sit down cross-legged next to each other, their knees and arms touching. Ricky doesn’t say anything, but he looks visibly deflated. He doesn’t look at her and keeps his eyes trained on the sky ahead of him.</p><p> </p><p>Gina can tell something’s wrong. She knows him to well to not pick up on his tells. Like, for example, how he bites on his clothes when he’s stressed, he hums when he’s concentrating, how he plays with his hands when he’s nervous or anxious. Like he was doing now.</p><p> </p><p>“What’re you doing up?” she asks to break the silence. It was three o’clock on a hot summer morning, neither of them should be up.</p><p> </p><p>He shrugs, rubbing his hands together. “Guess I couldn’t sleep.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wanna tell me why?”</p><p> </p><p>“No reason. Just not tired.” Ironically, a yawn follows that statement. He shakes his hands out.</p><p> </p><p>Gina sighs and before she could second guess herself, grabs hold of his hand and places it on her thigh. “What’s bothering you?”</p><p> </p><p>He finally looks her, and when she sees his eyes, her heart nearly breaks. She didn’t notice before in her room, but his eyes were red as if he’d been crying.</p><p> </p><p>She would personally fight whoever was responsible for Sad Ricky.</p><p> </p><p>She squeezes his hand a little and he lets out a shaky breath. “My mom came today.” Gina knew this. They had to cut their hangout short because Ricky was heading to the airport to pick her up. She doesn’t say anything and lets him continue. “With Todd.”</p><p> </p><p>And of <em>course</em> she did.</p><p> </p><p>“She said she had ‘announcement’.” He gulps and Gina rubs circles with her thumb on the back of her hand. “They’re getting married. And are looking for a place <em>here</em>. To be ‘closer to us’ or some crap like that.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina wants to punch Lynn Not-Bowen in the face. She’s only met Ricky’s mom once before and she didn’t even try to hide her distaste for the older woman.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’m <em>angry</em>, Gi. I thought she left to escape us, but turns out she was just running away from her marriage. With my dad. Because here she is now back and ready for a new one,” he chuckles mirthlessly. “I just got used to the idea of my parents splitting up and, as harsh as it sounds, I was glad that I’d only have to see her during breaks. But now she’s going to be here with Todd and—” His voice cracks and Gina wastes no time in wrapping him up a hug.</p><p> </p><p>His shoulders shake and her shirt dampens but she stays silent and rubs his back comfortingly. “Things are changing again and <em>I hate it</em>. Nini is going off to YAC, and I’m happy for her, I really am, but I’m going to miss her.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, me too,” Gina admits. Nini had made the independent decision to spend her senior year in Denver and Gina had given her the biggest hug when she heard. And she understood how he felt. She got him. “It stinks you’re your mom’s here. It stinks that Nini’s leaving. Things are changing, yeah and it sucks, but you wanna know what’s not?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky doesn’t respond and she takes it as her cue to continue. “You still have your dad. You still have drama and your <em>terrible</em> dancing,” she teases in an attempt to get him to smile because she cannot stand Ricky being anything but happy.</p><p> </p><p>It works, because he’s lifting his head slightly and saying with a small laugh, “Hey! I’m getting better!”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course you are, and you will continue to because Carlos, and Steph, and Rico, and Kaden aren’t going anywhere. Neither are Kourt, Red, Seb, Ash, even Nini and EJ, or me. This is forever, Bowen. Your mom can’t take that away from you. That’s never going to change.”</p><p> </p><p>He sits up fully and grabs Gina’s hand. He looks her straight in the eyes and with all the sincerity and admiration, so much so that his eyes shine. “Thank you, Gi.”</p><p> </p><p>She swears she almost says it then. Almost admits to all the feelings she’s been having for this boy for the past <em>year</em>. But she catches herself and smiles instead and hopes it’s enough.</p><p> </p><p>“Now, what are <em>you</em> doing up?” he asks nudging her slightly, hands still laced together.</p><p> </p><p>The only reason Gina is still awake is because she was helping EJ pack for college and the reality that once the summer was over, he would be in another state had settled in.</p><p> </p><p>She isn’t used to being the one left behind and here was EJ, packing his bags getting ready to say goodbye to SLC. The fact that this time she’s staying and is tripping her up. Because she’s scared.</p><p> </p><p>Gina knows how to leave. She knows people stop answering texts, stop trying so hard to reach you, stop caring. She doesn’t want to stop caring. She wasn’t made to miss people. She was made to walk in and out of peoples lives without a care in the world and never spare them another thought.</p><p> </p><p><em>She’s scared she’ll stop caring</em>.</p><p> </p><p>She tells Ricky all this and more and the wind is picking up but it’s humid so not at all cooling and he’s quiet, looking at their intertwined hands intently and when she finishes, and inhales and waits for him to say something, he squeezes her hand.</p><p> </p><p>He takes a breath and says, “You won’t. You will never stop caring about anyone ever.” Gina’s chest tightens. “I mean it. You’re not the same Gina that came to East High only focused on getting a leading role. You’re a friend now, a <em>sister</em>, and no distance is going to change that.” He gives her a reassuring smile. “Because EJ and Nini are going, but they’re going to come back. All those people you named, if they ever leave, trust me, they’re coming back. Especially me. You will always care, Gi. So much. And I’ll always come back.”</p><p> </p><p>There’s a “to you” that goes unspoken and hangs in the air between them.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’ll remind you of this every single day if I have to.”</p><p> </p><p>“You probably will,” she admits, laughing slightly.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I’ve got forever so…”</p><p> </p><p>She smiles brightly at him and he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulls her close and kisses her temple. This time, Gina does not shy away. Instead, she relishes in the feeling. When he pulls away, he does not take his arm away and Gina is all smiles.</p><p> </p><p>“You gonna go back home?” she asks when there’s a lull in conversation.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky shakes his head next to her. “Nah. I’ll probably text my dad and tell him you had a nightmare and <em>desperately</em> needed me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ricky…” Gina starts, clearly not amused.</p><p> </p><p>“What? My dad literally worships the ground you walk on, you know? You could tell him the Earth was flat and he’d probably believe you.” Gina’s face is heating up profusely and it has nothing to do with the weather. “The man <em>loves</em> you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up,” she says bashfully.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky doesn’t heed her and continues, “And I wouldn’t expect anything less from a Bowen.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina cannot bring herself to think about the implications of his statement. She can’t because she’s not one to get her hopes up. So instead, she tells Ricky to get himself a blanket from the hall closet and take his pillow back inside.</p><p> </p><p>He does and gives Gina a bright smile that sends her over moon.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>+1 lips</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The night before school starts up again, Seb invites all the drama kids to his farm as a kind of ‘last hurrah’ to the summer. Gina finds it to be a tad dramatic and guesses it was Carlos’ idea.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky is set to pick her up, Ashlyn having already gone to help set up with Kourtney, and to no one’s surprise, he was late.</p><p> </p><p>She was sitting on the steps of her house when he pulls up in the driveway blasting the High School Musical 2 soundtrack. He rolls down his window and sees Gina’s exasperated expression. “What?” he asks loudly, trying to be heard over the music.</p><p> </p><p>“We’re going to be late. <em>Again</em>,” she says crossing her arms across her chest.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s our brand now, Bobina! We can’t disappoint everyone by being <em>on time</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, the outrage.”</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly!” Gina rolls her eyes. “Now get in the car loser, we’re going to a party!”</p><p> </p><p>She does and Ricky speeds away.</p><p> </p><p><em>You Are The Music In Me</em> comes on and Gina can’t help but hum along. She’s staring out her window when Ricky starts singing Troy’s part.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>You’re a harmony! To the melody!</em> C’mon, Gi, sing it with me!”</p><p> </p><p>And how could she say no to him? When he’s looking at her like he means what he’s singing.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>A single voice! Above the noise!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>The next thing she knows, it’s a concert in Ricky’s car. Gina is smiling so hard, and laughing so much, her stomach is in stitches.</p><p> </p><p>Then Gina pauses in her singing because they drive past the Salazar-Roberts house. Nini had left for her new school a week ago and Gina still wasn’t used to the fact she was just gone. She wonders if this is what Ricky felt like when he’d drive past her old house.</p><p> </p><p>Nini was the only person with a pool and Gina spent practically all her time there during the summer. She knows she can still go, Nini’s moms had graciously given them permission to come by whenever, but Gina felt weird. She can’t explain it but she guesses the fact that she was always there was because of Nini.</p><p> </p><p>She’d have to call her tonight.</p><p> </p><p>Gina watches Ricky curiously as he notices the house. He doesn’t frown like Gina expects him to. He smiles softly instead and then, his attention is back on her, singing about how she was the music in him and she <em>doesn’t get it</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky wasn’t sad when Nini left. Well he was <em>sad</em>, but in the same way Gina or Carlos were sad. No, Gina means Ricky wasn’t <em>heartbroken</em>. She’d expected to have to suffer through spending time with a mopey Ricky who was beating himself up over the girl that got away for the rest of summer. Instead she gets a Ricky who wants to spend every second of every day with her.</p><p> </p><p>He takes to the skatepark with Big Red and they try to teach her how to ‘pop an ollie’, he buys her ice-cream, drives her around for no reason other than the fact that he wanted to be with her. And at first, Gina thought he was just suppressing his feelings, but after he suggested that they go for a swim at Nini’s, she knew he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p><em>It still makes no sense to her</em>.</p><p> </p><p>She can’t think more about it because then, Ricky’s parking the car and music stops. He turns in his seat to look at her and she does the same.</p><p> </p><p>“Miss Porter,” he says with faux seriousness.</p><p> </p><p>“Mr Bowen,” she answers with an exaggerated accent.</p><p> </p><p>He tries to stifle a laugh. “How corny of me would it be to say that you are the music in me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Extremely corny, I must say.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well it is the truth. You are the music in me.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina doesn’t know if he’s being serious. She assumes he’s joking and says teasingly, “And you, Mr Bowen, are what I’ve been looking for.”</p><p> </p><p>The smile he gives her is infectious and she can’t help but grant him one in return. And that’s how they enter the barn where everyone is. Smiling at each other like idiots. Carlos claps his hands in front of their faces when he sees them. “Snap out of it, lovebirds. Ash has EJ on FaceTime so move along if you want to get a chance to speak to him.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky rolls his eyes playfully. “It’s nice to see you too, Los.”</p><p> </p><p>“I saw you yesterday, Bowen.” He turns to Gina. “Is he always this clingy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you have no idea,” Gina teases. Ricky gasps and places a hand over his heart dramatically.</p><p> </p><p>Carlos side eyes him slightly before announcing that he’s going to find his boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky turns back to Gina. “You think I’m <em>clingy?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Gina chokes. “Do you hear that?” she diverts and Ricky rolls his eyes. “It sounds like EJ’s calling me, I’d better go.” And she leaves him, but when she turns back around, he’s already been snatched up by Big Red.</p><p> </p><p>She finds Ash’s phone with Steph, and sure enough EJ’s face was on the screen.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Gina!</em>” he exclaims when he sees walk up behind her friend. “<em>Why am I not surprised you’re late?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“Because you know I drove with Ricky,” Gina deadpans. Steph gives her a hug and leaves the phone with her to go and talk Kourt.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>That is correct. You guys dating yet?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“What? No! Shut up!”</p><p> </p><p>EJ just laughs at her while she rolls her eyes. “<em>Mhm, sure</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m serious!”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Whatever you say, but remember this conversation at your wedding!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“I hate you,” she says but there is no real bite behind it.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>And I love you too. Now pass me along to someone else!</em>” She does and gives the phone to Natalie after giving the other girl a hug.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as the phone leaves her hand, she’s pulled into dancing with Rico and Kaden. They try their best to not make her feel like a third wheel, which proves difficult when an Ed Sheeran song comes on and they can’t stop staring at each other. She gives them both hugs and goes to get food where she and Seb argue over the better Ed Sheeran album.</p><p> </p><p>(She’s adamant it’s <em>Plus</em> but Seb thinks it’s <em>Multiply</em>. They both agree though that <em>Divide just does not compare</em>.)</p><p> </p><p>After singing all the <em>High School Musical</em> songs and Gina is leaning on Big Red, laughing at something he said earlier, she realises that she hasn’t pinched herself once in so long. The thought makes her sober up and a soft smile graces her features.</p><p> </p><p>When the singing is done, and people are setting the barn up for a movie, Gina is standing outside watching Kourt and Ashlyn sort out snacks together.</p><p> </p><p>She doesn’t notice Ricky creep up next to her until he’s whispering into her ear, “Ash likes Kourtney.” She almost spills the juice she’s holding.</p><p> </p><p>Gina punches his arm lightly and he chuckles but she doesn’t respond. There is an unspoken rule about telling people about your friend’s crushes.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to tell me,” he says. “I know.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina eyes him suspiciously. “How do you know?”</p><p> </p><p>He shrugs. “Well, she keeps initiating contact and she is standing way closer to Kourt than necessary for bowling chips.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky wasn’t wrong; Ashlyn was finding every excuse to touch Kourtney’s hands and they were standing really closely, so much so that their shoulders were touching.</p><p> </p><p>Gina doesn’t register Ricky brushing his fingers against hers.</p><p> </p><p>“So those two things tell you she likes her?”</p><p> </p><p>“Kinda, yeah. But what really gives it away, is how Ash is looking at her,” he explains glancing down at Gina. “That, Bobina, is the look of someone who’s in love.”</p><p> </p><p>Something about that makes her heartbeat quicken. Maybe it’s the fact that he hasn’t looked away from her yet. “You know what that looks like?”</p><p> </p><p>He nods, eyes never leaving her face. “It’s same way I look at this girl.”</p><p> </p><p>Gina’s chest tightens. “Oh? Well, she must be really lucky.”</p><p> </p><p>“You think so?”</p><p> </p><p>She nods and says without thinking, “Anyone who has the privilege of being loved by you is lucky.” She almost wants to take it back and slam her head against a wall, but Ricky’s looking at her with a soft smile playing on his lips and she thinks it might he okay.</p><p> </p><p>“Then you, Miss Gina Bobina, are the luckiest person alive.”</p><p> </p><p>She’s pretty sure the world stops right then.</p><p> </p><p>There’s no way Ricky’s saying what she thinks he’s saying. There isn’t. There <em>can’t</em> be. And Gina has yet to come up with a valid reason as to <em>why</em>, but she’s skirting on something about Nini and how it’s always been Nini and how it doesn’t make sense that it suddenly isn’t—and then it <em>clicks</em>.</p><p> </p><p>Because it isn’t <em>sudden</em>. </p><p><em>It makes sense</em> and Gina wants to scream, and cry, and jump, and dance, and <em>kiss him</em>.</p><p> </p><p>And so she does.</p><p> </p><p>She grabs his face in both her hands and kisses his nose, both his cheeks, his forehead and his temples. It doesn’t occur to her that he was saying something, probably confessing about how long and how much he loved her, because he’s breathless and wide eyed and blushing furiously.</p><p> </p><p>“That…was not what I was expecting to happen,” he chuckles.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you,” Gina admits before he can say anything else and ruin the momentum she has. “I love you, I love you, I love you. You don’t have to say it back, really you don’t—”</p><p> </p><p>“I love you too.”</p><p> </p><p>And those words make her warm all over and her heart feels like it’s going to beat out of her chest at any moment and she wants to kiss him again, and again, and again, and she does, and her hands snake around his neck and he wraps his around her waist and pulls her closer and she <em>squeals</em>.</p><p> </p><p>They pull apart and rest their foreheads together. Gina’s mind is racing and there’a lump in her throat that she can’t quite get down and she loves this boy so much it <em>hurts</em>. “Hey,” she says once she catches her breath. Ricky’s eyes flutter down to meet hers. “We may not be soulmates but we have something better.”</p><p> </p><p>“What?”</p><p> </p><p>“Forever,” she whispers with the brightest smile, and the there it is, Ricky’s smile, the one that takes over his entire face, the one she knows is special and just for her and she almost feels bad for kissing it off his face.</p><p> </p><p>Almost.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>everyone say thank you lore for yelling at me!</p><p>ik nothing abt dancing so i apologise for that part lol. ricky and gina truly got me guys,,,they rlly did. </p><p>thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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